The five things I recommend when you and your little one have a coldness

Well for the last few days Little Bear and I have shared a cold – he’s been so bunged up and as a result our baby who was beginning to sleep longer during the night with only one get up has regressed to getting up 4-6 times in the night. It’s been exhausting and nothing quite prepares you for it prior to becoming a Mama Bear. Yesterday, I was so shattered that I forgot to turn in the slow cooker at the wall when making a Rogan Josh curry for us to eat last night – the clue should have been that the house wasn’t filling up with the lovely aroma of Indian spices!

So I thought I would share with you the things we’ve been doing to help him (and myself) get over this first cold of the winter – god help us when he starts nursery next month and I go back to school!

1. The last time Little Bear had a cold he was in with us and we swore by Snuffle Babe to help him breathe better at night. You just put a few drops in a small dish of hot water and place it on a radiator and the vapours fill the room helping all to breathe. I’ve also found putting drops of this wonderful stuff onto a muslin and draping over my headboard has helped me to breathe better at night – I would have done this for Little Bear but considering he keeps standing up in his cot didn’t think it was the best idea.

2. With that in mind, considering we’ve not succumbed to putting on the heating yet, a few friends recommended we use the Calpol Vapour Plug and it is AMAZING! When I go in during the night when Little Bear wakes I can breathe more clearly and I honestly think he would suffer more if didn’t have it – he certainly seems to be worse he closer we get to morning as the vapours weaken.

3. A dose of Calpol before he goes to bed every night too has helped him sleep better and helped him to drink the last of his milk which he has not been drinking much off because of his sore throats.

4. Being a breastfeeding Mama I can’t take a lot of my old reliable cold remedies (mainly Lemsips) but I’ve found that taking some paracetamol with a hot lemon and honey has certainly helped – perhaps it’s a placebo effect?!

5. Having a Papa Bear who comes home to looks after us and giving this Mama Bear time to have a nap and a lie in this weekend to recuperate.